It is considered that users can use a high-speed network in homes in the near future, for example, owing to progress of FTTH (Fiber to the Home) techniques which provides various communication services such as telephone, ISDN, and the like through optical fiber cables extended to homes. In case of realizing data providing services which are expected to spread under this environment, such as Internet television service (which will be abbreviated as Internet TV hereinafter), Internet video on demand service (which will be abbreviated as Internet VoD), and the like, the service providers must guarantee the quality of data provided for users, i.e., the quality of services (QoS). In order to guarantee the quality in the data providing services, reservations of band resources used on the network must be carried out to achieve data providing services. That is, to explain an IP (Internet Protocol) network using an ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode), a connectionless IP packet needs to be transferred by a virtual connection (which will be abbreviated as VC hereinafter) as a connection-oriented technique which guarantees the quality.
Meanwhile, RSVP (Resource reSerVation Protocol) has been conventionally known as a protocol for reserving a resource such as virtual connection (VC) or the like. In the RSVP, a user operates a terminal connected to a network to reserve a resource, and a connection is thereby constructed. In this manner, the user can obtain data providing services. Also, in the RSVP, after a data providing service is obtained, the resource needs to be released when the user operates the terminal again and the connection needs to be cut.
Thus, in a conventional protocol such as RSVP for reserving a resource, a user himself or herself must operate a terminal, for example, to reserve or release a resource. Thus, there is a problem that users must carry burdens.
Also, for example, in case of an Internet TV, broadcasting of programs is expected to be supplied through a plurality of channels. In the data providing service (program broadcasting service) by the internet TV, it is considered that a user will switch channels to know what programs are being broadcasted, like watching and hearing a normal television broadcasting program, i.e., a user will frequently switch channels for zapping. In this case, however, the user must operate a terminal to reserve or release a resource every time zapping is carried out, so that this operation will become a large burden for the user.
The present invention has been made in view of this situation, and has an object of providing an information receiving apparatus, an information receiving method, an information providing apparatus, and an information communication system, by which users can reserve or release resources without particular consciousness.